Spice Up Your Self-Isolation With Sex Educator Anna Wim

Anna Wim, the Berlin-based sex educator, tells us some fun and safe ways to make the most of our extra time.

INTERVIEW Molly SheridanWORDS Anna Wim

Our Beauty Editor Molly Sheridan speaks to Berlin-based sex educator Anna Wim about how to deal with quarantine horniness, sending the perfect sext and what household objects should definitely not be used as sex toys.

Tell us what got you into sex education?

I had known I was highly sexual pretty much since childhood, but coming from a not so sexually open background, I had tons of questions I would not really get the answers for. I used to feel a lot of shame about my own sexuality. Then, a few years ago I made my first visual project about BDSM, and it was quite a natural way from that. I realized talking about sex is nothing bad and that I actually felt very empowered by that, and gradually started sharing more and more, getting to the point of creating content I wish I could have accessed as a sexually confused kid.

Your videos are educational, fun and to be honest also adorable. How do you decide what content to make? Do you ever get requests you’re not comfortable with?

I usually just base it on what’s going on in my life at the moment – did I find a new toy I absolutely love? Gotta make a video about that! Got diagnosed with gonorrhea? Let’s make a post series about my experience.

I do get requests, and I’m more than happy to cover them, but sometimes it’s things I don’t really know that much about; be it because I’m not a trained health professionals (when it comes to content about STI transmission and cures) or simply because I do not have experience with the topic because of who I am – for example, I’ve gotten a lot of requests about prostate stimulation, which I cannot explore as a cis woman. I prefer my content to really reflect my own experience, which obviously doesn’t encompass all quirks of sexuality!

A lot of us have more extra time than usual, but is it healthy to be wanking more?

Definitely! Masturbation releases lots of good stuff into your body, it warms you up, can provide relief from pain, and is also a nice way to entertain yourself when the boredom starts getting to you. With or without orgasm, wanking is definitely good for you in times like these!

What household items would you say are body safe to play with? And can you explain what body safe means for those who don’t know?

Body safe means that the object you use to pleasure yourself with does not contain any harmful substances that could seriously injure you. That could be some types of plastic that exude toxic matter, sharp objects that could scratch or bruise you, or simply anything that’s dirty.

Technically, anything should be safe once you cover it with a condom and use enough lube! Make sure the objects you use are clean, and are sturdy enough not to break during your action. In general, wood, thick glass, or steel are good materials to explore. If you were to use phallic-shaped fruit or veg, make sure not to use it bare, as it can really mess up with vaginal PH. For anal play, NEVER put anything without a flared base up your bum, as there is a high likeliness it will get literally sucked up and you won’t be able to get it out – and trust me, rushing to the hospital with something stuck in your ass is the last thing you wanna do now!

If someone is solo-isolating with no way or means to buy new toys ,what are your tips for new ways to experiment with your hands?

To be honest, hands are my favourite sex toys anyway! A few ways to make the hand play a bit more exciting could be: – using a mirror so that you can see what you’re doing to yourself (or even recording yourself!) – experimenting with temperature play (submerge your hand in cold or warm water and then touch yourself) – mixing up positions, pressure or patterns of touch – covering your eyes (with a sleep mask or a scarf) and letting your hands explore your body while being deprived of sight

Your sex toy still life series is beautiful, was that just a personal project?

Apart from being a sex ed aunty on Instagram, I also channel my interest in sex in my visual art. It’s mostly still life photography, but I’ve done spatial installations as well. Recently, I started working as set designer too, bringing my still lives to more commercial settings.

Give us a lil preview of what to expect from your next video?

As I’m locked at home, I am mostly just going through my sex toy collection and catching up on those I haven’t reviewed yet. Since I’m currently writing my MA thesis about accessibility of STI testing, I am planning to cover topics related to that as well. I was also planning to start a little series with my trans friends where we would chat about their experience with taking hormones, medical transition, or even freezing one’s sperm to be able to procreate later in life, but unfortunately the pandemic put those plans on hold.

What advice would you give to a novice sexter flirting online?

First of all, remember to ask about consent before you send your boo something sexy! If you don’t know how to put what you want into words, take a pen and paper (or open a Word document) and try writing down what you experienced the last time you had sex, or what happened in the last porn film or story you watched/read. For spicing it up, explore various media – voice messages, lil videos, drawings, collage,…

Is there any fun sexting tips you have for couples isolating apart?

Here are my personal favourites: – Send your partner a photo of a selection of sex toys (if you have some) and let them pick which one you should use on yourself (or vice versa). – Send them text/photo/video updates once you get to it! – Record voice messages or videos of you orgasming and send them to each other! – Imagine how you would like to have to sex in different settings – a nightclub maybe? Fancy hotel room? Outdoors?